RHYS Thomas has declared there's no time for Newport Gwent Dragons to wallow after their crushing Challenge Cup semi-final to Edinburgh, with Judgement Day the perfect occasion to show they've made great strides this season.

The Dragons headed to Murrayfield last Friday with high hopes of qualifying for the first final in their history but were tonked 45-16 by the Scots, who will now take on Gloucester at the Twickenham Stoop a week on Friday.

The Rodney Parade region have enjoyed an excellent run of form since December but didn't do themselves justice on the big stage.

However, they get a swift shot at redemption when they take to the Millennium Stadium against the Scarlets in front of an expected crowd of over 50,000 on Saturday.

Thomas: "With any team sport there's always next week and we need to sweep it under the carpet to a certain degree because if we play like that against the Scarlets it's going to be a long afternoon for us.

"We need to pick out as many positives from the last month as we can to take into that match.

"As a whole, the Challenge Cup has been hugely positive for the region but I at the moment I am finding it hard to look back at that because I am hurting.

"A lot of the youngsters are upset because their pride has been dented but we can't dwell on it too much, we have got to get on with things."

The former Wales hooker, a Challenge Cup winner with Cardiff Blues in 2010, admitted that the thrashing to an Edinburgh side one place and six points above them in the Guinness Pro12 was hard to take.

"Emotionally it was huge, a hammer-blow," said Thomas, who turns 32 on Thursday. "Not so much we lost but the way we lost – the wheels fell off in the second half after Brok Harris' try (making it 21-16 early in the second half).

"It's hard when you are young but it's even harder when you are older. This is probably one of the hardest losses I've suffered but we have got to pick ourselves up."

If Cardiff Blues lose to the title-chasing Ospreys at the Millennium Stadium (kick-off 2.30pm) then the ninth-placed Dragons will finish above their fiercest rivals with victory against the Scarlets (kick-off 4.45pm).